Album Notes

Twin Cities-based traditional country music great Sherwin Linton is celebrating 50 years in show business in 2006, and he's releasing some of his best archival music to celebrate!

From the mid-sixties throughout the 1970s, Sherwin spent a lot of time in studios in Nashville, Chicago, Hollywood, Minneapolis and other locations, recording dozens of songs (including hits for various record labels). Fortunately, Sherwin retained the rights to the masters of most of these recordings. The masters heard on “1966 – 1975 Great Years, Great Songs” have sat quietly for several decades in his personal archive vault.

Some of the prominent musicians that contributed greatly to this music include Sherwin's friend the late John Hartford, who played banjo and 5 string Dobro on several tracks; Tompall and Jim Glaser on rhythm guitar and harmony vocals; fiddlers Buddy Spicher, Johnny Gimble and Peter Ostroushko; Buddy Harmon on drums; Charlie McCoy on harmonica; David Briggs and Hargus “Pig” Robbins on piano; Wayne Moss on electric guitar; bass players Junior Huskey, Kelso Herston, Bob Moore and Jack Ross; steel guitar players Walter Haynes, Weldon Myrick, Curley Chaulker, Hal Rugg, Lloyd Green, Buddy Emmons and Cal Hand.

Sherwin recorded “When She Cries” in 1973 and he requested a concert harp. Mary Hopfinger of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra played it, and this is considered the first time a harp was featured on a country record! There are a lot more treats like this to be found on these tracks. The hit “Cotton King” was recorded at the legendary Bradley Barn studio in Nashville. One tune was recorded at the South Dakota State Penitentiary, part of Sherwin's record “Hello, I'm Not Johnny Cash” (an obvious tribute to his long time friend and officially endorsed by the Man in Black himself). Another was recorded in Minneapolis with the help of David Rivkin, who would go on to work extensively with Prince, Jonny Lang and many others.

About Sherwin Linton: Sherwin Linton launched his career in the music business in the mid-1950s as a disc jockey and live performer of Rock-A-Billy music on radio station KWAT in Watertown, South Dakota. Sherwin moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1957 and expanded his territory from the Midwest to playing nightclubs and ballrooms throughout the country. He journeyed to Nashville in 1966, where he cut “Cotton King,” a song that catapulted him to the top of the Country charts. Roy Acuff, with whom Sherwin toured, was so impressed with Linton's talents that Sherwin was signed to the legendary Acuff-Rose Publishing Company and Hickory Records, resulting in numerous TV show appearances and coast-to-coast tours. Following the release of a live tribute album, “Hello, I'm Not Johnny Cash” in 1971, Linton received multiple national nominations from the CMA and ACM. Subsequent hits included the 1986 novelty song “Santa Got a DWI,” an anti-drunk driving song that hit the charts and became a Christmas favorite. Sherwin has released several CDs in recent years, and continues to record and tour tirelessly with his Country & Rock-A-Billy band, thrilling crowds across America.